Boating on lakes, ponds, bays and other inland or partially enclosed bodies of water has become increasingly popular. Docks, piers, boat lifts and similar structures must be built to keep pace with this increased boat traffic. However, environmental factors, governmental regulations and/or community restrictions often limit the types of boat accommodating structures that can be installed in a lake or similar body of water. Driving pilings into the lake bottom to support a dock or lift may be prohibited for aesthetic reasons or because such pilings may cause environmental damage to the bottom. In other cases, it simply may be too difficult or even impossible to install a piling into a lake bottom if the lake bottom is composed of relatively impenetrable rock.
Various types of floating docks and floating lifts have been developed. However, none of these products integrates a boat lift into the dock in an efficient, practical and commercially viable manner. Moreover, freely floating docks and lifts tend to be fairly top heavy and unstable. Often these structures do not function properly when they encounter rough wave action and/or high winds. Such conditions are common on inland lakes and ponds. When rough conditions are encountered, it would be very desirable to provide improved stability and support for floating docks and lifts.